By Luke Sills
When Jesus stood in the temple courts in Matthew 21, He told a story that cut to the heart of Israel’s leaders—a story of a vineyard, tenants, and a rejected son. At first glance, it may seem like just another parable. But behind it lies a sobering truth: to reject God’s messengers is ultimately to reject God Himself.
The Parable of the Tenants
Jesus describes a landowner who carefully prepares a vineyard: he plants vines, builds a fence, digs a winepress, and sets up a watchtower. With everything in place, he leases it to tenants and departs. When harvest comes, he sends servants to collect the fruit. But the tenants beat, stone, and kill them. More servants are sent, and the violence repeats. Finally, the landowner sends his son, hoping they will respect him. Instead, they conspire, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.” And so they cast him out and kill him.
The symbolism is unmistakable. The vineyard is Israel. The landowner is God. The tenants are Israel’s leaders, entrusted with the care of God’s people. The servants represent the prophets, who were beaten, mocked, and killed for speaking truth. And the son—of course—is Jesus, whom the leaders would soon reject and crucify.
Jesus’ warning is clear: rejection of God’s servants leads to judgment, and rejection of God’s Son leads to eternal loss.
God’s Patience and Grace
What is striking in this parable is God’s patience. He sends servant after servant, giving opportunity after opportunity to repent. Even after repeated rejection, He sends His beloved Son. This is not a picture of a harsh, impatient ruler—it is a portrait of astonishing grace.
The apostle Peter echoes this heart of God: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
From the prophets of old, to the apostles, to countless witnesses through history, God has never stopped sending messengers into the world with one plea: repent, and believe in Christ.
A Pattern of Rejection
Sadly, history confirms the parable’s pattern. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was stoned after boldly proclaiming Christ (Acts 7). Polycarp, an elderly bishop in the early church, refused to deny his Savior and was burned at the stake. John Wycliffe translated the Bible into English so ordinary people could read God’s Word, only to be condemned as a heretic. Missionary Jim Elliot and four others were speared to death in Ecuador in 1956 for bringing the gospel to an unreached tribe. Even in our own century, believers like Asia Bibi in Pakistan have endured imprisonment and persecution rather than renounce Christ.
The vineyard is still being tended, and the servants are still being sent. Yet often, the world responds the same way—rejecting, mocking, or persecuting those who carry God’s message.
The Cornerstone Rejected
Jesus presses the parable further by quoting Psalm 118: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” The leaders may cast Him aside, but God makes Him the very foundation of His kingdom. That stone will either be the rock upon which you build your life—or the stone that crushes you in judgment.
To reject the Son is no small matter. It is the greatest crime in human history, for it was not merely the death of an innocent man, but the rejection of the only One who came to save us. And yet—here lies the wonder of grace—that very rejection became the means of salvation. The death that sinful humanity plotted was the very death by which Christ bore our guilt, so that through His resurrection we might have life.
What Will You Do With Jesus?
The parable leaves us with a searching question: What will you do with God’s Son?
The religious leaders in Jesus’ day wanted the blessings of the kingdom without submitting to the King. Many today still want the hope of heaven without surrendering to Christ’s authority. But Scripture is plain: eternal life belongs only to those who receive the Son in faith.
God is still sending messengers. Perhaps He has sent one into your life—a preacher, a friend, a family member—urging you to turn to Christ. Will you, like the tenants, reject the messenger? Or will you receive the message and bear fruit for the kingdom?
The stone has been set in place. It is marvelous in our eyes. And it demands a response.